9 Benefits of User-Generated Content

October 18, 2023

User-generated content (UGC) is like digital word-of-mouth. It comes from real people and can really change how you market your brand.

In this article, we'll look at nine ways UGC can help your brand thrive. These benefits include making your brand more well-known, building trust, bringing more people to your website, getting more people to buy your products, and helping your brand grow in meaningful ways.

Discover how UGC can give your marketing strategy more substance.

1. Amplify your brand’s authenticity

The leading user-generated content is authentic at its core. No matter who’s making the video (a consumer, an influencer, a brand ambassador, or even one of your employees), you want their genuine voice to shine through.

Unlike other content marketing formats, UGC gives a platform directly to your fans. Viewers resonate with genuine experiences shared by real users.

For example, an incredible 52 percent of consumers 35-49 and 49 percent of people 18-34 said they are influenced to purchase the products they’ve seen used in streaming video content.

This shows UGC doesn't merely serve as a passive form of engagement. It actively drives consumer behavior. The fact that consumers across different age groups are influenced by UGC emphasizes its universality as a marketing tool.

Effectively leveraging user-generated content can significantly impact your brand's reach, trustworthiness, website traffic, and growth; the influence of UGC on purchasing decisions is just one critical aspect we've explored, setting the stage for further examination of its multifaceted benefits.

2. Feature diverse perspectives

UGC opens up more opportunities to feature diverse voices.

Forbes reported that of 630 Americans surveyed, nearly 80 percent of Gen Zers said it’s important for brands to address diversity and inclusion.

Brands can tap into a rich tapestry of user experiences from all different ages, backgrounds, and cultures. UGC makes featuring content from a wide variety of users and demographics a walk in the park.

Gen Z prefers UGC over any other content type, and other generations are in favor of UGC too.

When evaluating purchase decisions, 70 percent of Gen X and Gen Z respondents and 78 percent of Millennials reported finding UGC “very” or “extremely” helpful to know how other product users feel about purchases, whereas only 52 percent of Baby Boomers and 45 percent of the Silent Generation reported the same.

This demonstrates that UGC is becoming more prominent with each generation.

Nonetheless, it’s a favorable way to share diverse perspectives.

3. Humanize your brand

People are more likely to connect with a video that features a personal story and an emotional connection. What’s special about UGC is how it goes beyond a simple value prop. Instead, it’s a personal story and experience about the product.

By weaving real-life experiences into a video, creators identify how they benefited from your product or service and why it made such an impact in their lives.

This resonates with your audience. People remember stories, especially when they can relate to them. It’s a big contrast from antiquated marketing tactics that feel distant, detached, and salesy.

By spotlighting human stories, UGC fosters relatability and trust in a way that many other content formats can’t match.

4. Foster community and brand loyalty

Building a strong sense of community and brand loyalty is a hallmark of successful businesses. UGC plays a pivotal role in achieving this.

Imagine a popular beauty brand encouraging customers to share their makeup using a specific hashtag. By doing this, the brand creates a community of makeup enthusiasts who regularly engage with and support one another.

Customers become not just purchasers of products but active participants in a shared passion, forming strong connections with the brand and fellow community members.

This approach not only generates a sense of belonging but also solidifies brand loyalty. When customers feel like they are part of a community that shares their values and interests, they are more likely to stick with the brand, recommend it to others, and even become advocates for it.

In essence, UGC transforms customers into brand ambassadors who promote your products or services authentically.

5. Expand reach and engagement

While other marketing channels might only allow you to target known audiences or lookalikes, UGC offers a distinct advantage.

Its unique strength lies in its ability to unlock untapped audience segments. It’s a catalyst for broader brand reach because you can tap into your users’ own networks for exponential exposure.

When you tag users who create their own video reviews or sponsor influencers, you can get your brand in front of new and untapped segments. Without this exposure, you might cycle through your existing audience and miss out on potential growth.

By engaging users to create video reviews or collaborating with influencers, you extend your brand's reach into uncharted territories.

This expanded exposure ensures you don't remain confined to your current audience, preventing missed opportunities for growth.

6. Leverage cost-effective content creation

UGC is a cost-effective way to create and leverage content.

Traditional content creation, like creating video promos and ads, can demand substantial resources and money. UGC, however, reduces production expenses by harnessing the creativity of existing customers.

Instead of investing in elaborate productions, brands can rely on their enthusiastic customers to generate authentic and relatable content.

This not only saves money but also resonates more with audiences, as it reflects real-life experiences.

7. Easily adapt your marketing materials

One of the perks of UGC is that you can easily repurpose and reuse one video across different channels and in different formats. It adapts to other marketing materials seamlessly.

A single piece of content can be transformed into shorter video clips suitable for social media, compelling quotes to enrich the testimonials page on their website, a text-based review to enhance a product page, and various other formats tailored for different channels.

This adaptability empowers brands to extract maximum value from a single UGC contribution. Instead of starting from scratch with each marketing endeavor, UGC allows you to efficiently repurpose content across various platforms and mediums, ensuring a positive impact.

8. Unlock valuable data

On top of using UGC for content marketing, social media, SEO, and paid media, you can also extract valuable insights from UGC videos.

With the help of AI-powered video analytic platforms, brands can harness a wealth of data to drive informed decisions. With the right technology, brands can gain deep insights into customer sentiment, style preferences, emerging trends, and the demographics of their audience.

This opens the door for businesses to refine their marketing strategies, tailor product development to meet consumer needs, and enhance customer engagement.

9. Partner with well-known influencers

Leveraging the power of well-known influencers has become a strategic imperative, and UGC offers an ideal avenue for these partnerships.

Picture a leading home electronics company that encourages its customers to share videos of their innovative home setups, featuring the brand's products. To amplify its reach and credibility, the company collaborates with prominent tech influencers who are well-known for their expertise and following in electronics.

By partnering with these influencers through UGC, the home electronics brand not only gains exposure to the influencer's dedicated followers but also capitalizes on their existing trust and authority in the industry.

The brands then seamlessly integrate UGC into their content, showcasing products in action and offering valuable insights and reviews.

This strategy bridges the gap between the brand and a highly targeted, receptive audience, solidifying its position as an industry leader.

Conclusion

UGC is not merely a marketing buzzword; it's a dynamic force that can transform your brand's approach.

From amplifying authenticity to partnering with influencers and unlocking valuable data, UGC provides a pathway to enhanced trust, engagement, and growth.

As showcased by real-world examples and its diverse applications, UGC is a tangible and adaptable tool that has become a cornerstone of modern marketing.

Embrace the power of UGC, and watch your brand thrive in today's competitive landscape.

Next, discover how to find quality UGC content.